98 



If the ground shuts up early in the fall, and remains frozen 

 till late in the spring, the trees can be pretty efiectually 

 protected by a careful application of ink for from two to four 

 weeks. But it is extremely difficult in our open winters and 

 early springs to do more by this method than to repel the main 

 army of grubs from our orchards. 



These methods of preventing the ravages of the canker 

 worm are all that have been brought to the notice of the 

 Committee. Any of them properly used will doubtless prevent 

 serious loss in the crop of apples, but the farmer desires to use 

 that method which best combines economy and effectiveness. 

 None of them will prove satisfactory without the utmost care 

 in their application, for the grub is a most persistent and 

 determined creature and only succumbs to impossibilities. But 

 it is also true, that the more thoroughly the trees are protected 

 the less the attention afterwards required. 



The first year that tar, ink or any substance which kills the 

 grub is used, there is constant danger that they will appear in 

 such numbers as to " bridge over," and thus enable some to 

 cross on the dead bodies of their comrades. But after an 

 orchard has been well protected, there is little danger that the 

 gruljs will next year go up in sufficient numbers to do this. 



It is evident enough that every orchardist can protect himself 

 from serious injury by the canker worm if he chooses to make 

 the effort. Let him invest sparingly, if at all, in new-fangled 

 notions and patents, but adopt those methods which have been 

 tried and found successful, and which do not require large 

 outlay. Let him remember that " Eternal vigilance is the 

 price of /rmY," and that he must do his work with the utmost 

 thoroughness to ensure success. By so doing his eyes will not 

 be pained by the sight of sere and reddened trees in June, nor 

 his cellars lack the red and golden harvest of October. 



For the Committee — Joseph S. Howe. 



MINORITY REPORT. 



The opinion of the undersigned, as one of the Committee, is 

 in brief to let the canker woi'ms quite alone, and if all apple 



